Warriors Don't Get Sick
by MakoRain
Summary: Tifa is sick and can't sleep...this is Cloud's way of making it all better.
1. Part 1

A/N: After a short time, I have returned with a new installment of this series. It is a two parter so please be patient for what's to come and I hope you enjoy. Please R&R...it's always nice to know what I'm doing right or wrong and this fic took a while to upload for reasons beyond my understanding, the format is being picky for some reason, sorry. All of the general disclaimers apply...I own nothing FFVII.

Dream within a dream series, vol.5

"Warriors Don't Get Sick Part 1"

Cough...cough...thump...cough.

Tifa groaned and heard it again. Thump thump thump. What was that noise? She grimaced and thought about rolling over but didn't at the feel of his solid form behind her, holding her close. At first she thought the thumping was Cloud's heart and felt a warm rush of affection towards the sleeping warrior until she moved and the thumping grew louder, making her close her eyes tighter and bury her head in her pillow.

Cough…thump…thump…cough …cough.

This was not good. Her whole body ached and felt chilled but burning to the touch while it hurt to swallow and her nose was stuffy. Tifa groaned this time out of anger and felt him stir beside her, drawing attention away from her pounding headache. _How could this happen? _She couldn't get sick, not now with everything still being crazy busy in her life. The kids had to get up tomorrow and eat and the bar…grrrr, the bar had to be open for business.

A tug at her shoulder and squeeze around her waist alerted her to waking up Cloud, who asked her if she was alright. I'm in your arms, how could I not be alright? She thought but when she opened her mouth all that came out was cough cough cough.

Without a word, Cloud got out of bed and walked to the bathroom, returning back to bed with a bottle of cough syrup and a thermometer. She mentally rolled her eyes but instead focused on how sweet his concern for her was and dutifully opened her mouth for the thermometer.

The shrill beeping alerted a fever and Tifa swallowed the cough medicine sorely down her swollen throat that he gave her before Cloud went back and put the stuff away in the bathroom. He came back to tuck her in and slip beside her, holding her to keep her warm even though her body was over heated. She cuddled closer even though she had a feeling she was contagious…but she didn't want to think logically. Finally she drifted off into as fitful a sleep as she could while bringing through only one side of her nose.

When Tifa woke up…something was wrong. There was sunlight spilling across the sheets in a sliver across the comforter through the still closed curtains. _What? They should be open by now…what time is it?_ The clock read 11:23 on the nightstand next to her and she almost fell out of bed. _How could I have slept in so late?_

As soon as she started to move, her question was answered. Her head felt like throbbing lead and her throat…did she swallow sand or something? Tifa tried to cough to clear it but felt as if wet cotton was stuck there and when she tried to call out to Cloud, a horrible squeaking noise came out.

"Cl…eeee…dddeeeee."

With an unsatisfied inward groan Tifa lay back down against the pillow, immediately feeling as if it was eating her head but unable to move it fast enough nor care to at the moment. Through the murky thoughts she realized something that made her very unhappy…not only was she sick, but she had no voice. This was going to be torture.

Tifa didn't have to wait long for her new found voicelessness to be tested. Right at lunchtime there was a chorus of little feet followed by bigger ones on the stairs and in burst the children, without knocking of course. She only sighed and held open her arms as they ran towards her, shouts of "Tifa!" hurting her head but all she felt was disappointment when Cloud stopped them from jumping into her arms.

"Marlene, Denzel, I told you Tifa was sick."

"So?" Denzel asked while Marlene whined. "But I wanted to give Tifa a hug and make her all better, that's what she always does for me."

Tifa opened her mouth to remind her of the medicine that helped as well but all that came out was that high pitched squeaking noise as her swollen vocal cords tried to force the words out. Both Marlene and Denzel looked at her funny while Cloud looked at her with a whole lot of concern and just a little bit of pity, she could see it in the corner of his mouth.

"Okay you two, I think it's time to go outside and play while I help nurse Tifa to health."

The children both looked at each other after this statement, picturing Cloud in a nurse uniform and had to run downstairs to contain their laughter till they were in the safety of the outdoors. Tifa was trying to hide her pleasure at being in the care of Cloud's very capable hands which were now holding a tray she hadn't noticed earlier. She smiled and looked down at the soup, a dubious expression on her face as if to ask 'you can cook?'

"Tifa, please, just eat it." Cloud asked with a hint of impatience but she eagerly took the spoon and dipped it into the warm liquid. He sat on the end of the bed, watching her eat and she finally had to put down the spoon to reach a pen and pad of paper on the night stand.

With Cloud never taking his eyes off of her, she wrote on the paper and handed it to him. He read the word 'what?' and smiled, placing the note on the bedspread.

"You."

Her eyebrows went up quizzically as he scooted closer to her on the bed and brushed a few strands of stray hair away from her face.

"You have no idea what you mean to me, do you?" he asked her more as a rhetorical question but met her eyes to find the answer while her hands moved the pen across the paper.

Cloud smiled as he read 'I think I have a clue' and turned to her with a thoughtful look on his face. Her hand on his conveyed her question while his eyes locked on the sight of her holding his hand. He brought it to his lips and kissed it lightly, looking up again to see Tifa's radiant smile.

"But I think there's a way you'll know for sure"

Silence resonated the space between them before Cloud took a deep breath and started a tale he had never told her before, too embarrassed to admit it but her smile tugged at his own and so he said, "It was a couple days after I left with SOLDIER, and we were walking along…"

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

_(Cloud's flashback story) _

The walk seemed never ending as the brood of newly recruited SOLDIERs, ranging from grown men to young boys, caravanned across the barren land. One such boy, a blond haired teenager named Cloud, if memory served him, caught Zack's eye. Ah, yes, the chocobo one, he thought as he chuckled to himself and walked up beside the boy who seemed to be preoccupied with something in his hand.

"Hey, whatcha got there?" Zack asked while casually slinging his arm over Cloud's shoulder like a buddy would to take the picture from his hand.

"Hey!" the young boy protested, oblivious to Zack's presence until the object left his hand. Upon closer inspection, it was a photograph of a girl whose name just so happened to be "Tifa" scrawled in curly cue handwriting on the reverse side indicated.

"Well she's a cutie," Zack commented while Cloud tried to ignore that this man, no, _older boy_, who he'd met merely days ago held the only picture of his precious Tifa in his hand instead of in Cloud's where it belonged. Choosing wisely to say none of this to his superior officer, Cloud merely nodded and faced forward while watching the dark haired one out of the corner of his eye. But the longer he looked at it, the hotter Cloud felt his face go.

Zack's chuckle got Cloud to face him and was greeted with a hearty slap on the back as the picture was slid into his back pocket. Cloud smiled meekly and removed the photo to hold in his hand and look at it once more, his face still red as a tomato from embarrassment but he couldn't help it, he had to see her. This is the only way he could see her anymore. The thought caused his smile to falter and a sigh escaped his lips, which did not go unnoticed by the Lieutenant.

"Something got you down, Strife?"

Cloud looked up at the warmth in the young man's voice and couldn't help let his thoughts come out in the form of words.

"Lieutenant, sir, why do you care so much?"

Zack laughed out loud this time, long and cheerful.

"Cloud, please, call me Zack. And I ask because I care about the well being of my men. I may not be that much older than you but I know how it is to leave someone you love behind. It clouds one's mind." Zack chuckled again and as an afterthought said, "No pun intended there."

The blond haired boy didn't suppress the urge to roll his eyes this time which only made Zack laugh harder. "You're a good boy, Strife. So, tell me about this Tifa?"

In answer to Zack's question, Cloud spent the entire walk back to command central telling him about Tifa's eyes, hair, smile, lips, voice, laugh, walk, anything and everything that made Cloud love her so. It seemed that even her breathing made him go all warm and fuzzy towards the long haired brunette and Zack had to stop from smacking himself and/or Cloud in the head one too many times.

The only instance he took any breath to not talk about her was to eat but even then, he tried to speak around the food. Thankfully his mother raised him with manners so he chewed thoroughly before continuing to ramble and Zack gave the woman praise on the inside. When it came to shutting down for the night, he thought he was in the clear of anymore talk about the young girl but volunteering to be Cloud's roommate turned out to give him no such luck.

No sooner had the Lieutenant gotten out of the bathroom after his shower had the chocobo head started a riveting tale of Tifa's hairs. That's right, not just her hair all together, but each and every individual brunette strand on her beautiful head that had the habit of changing colors in the sun light.

"Cloud…Cloud…CLOUD!"

The young boy was startled into silence and Zack let out a sigh of relief.

"Strife…lights out, it's time to go to bed."

"Sir, but I didn't finish telling you…"

"I'm sure the birds all sing and flowers bloom whenever Tifa enters a room but if you keep telling me this stuff, I'm bound to have disturbing dreams. I want to sleep Cloud, understand?"

The only response was a nod and Zack let out a small sigh of relief as Cloud followed orders to turn off the light before climbing into his bunk.

"I love her."

The words were just above a whisper but Zack felt himself smile. _Ah, to be that young and in love…_

"I know you do. Good night, Strife."

Moments of silence passed in which Zack felt his eyes grow heavy and close peacefully. Just as sleep was on the verge of taking over, the urge to open his eyes became overwhelming and Zack opened them to see Cloud right in his face.

"Cloud!"

"You didn't ask how I knew I loved her."

Zack ran a hand through his already overly spiked hair and messed it up even more if possible.

"Cloud, I know why. You are hopeless."

"It's in the way her voice gets all soft when she says my name and sounds like an angel whenever she speaks."

"Cloud." Zack swung his legs over the edge of the bed, feeling the bare wood floor under his feet and shivering.

"It's in the way her face crinkles so cutely when she laughs that I just want to poke her button nose."

"Oh for crying out loud, I'm begging you." The Lieutenant pleaded while maneuvering the young boy closer to the door, just a little bit more…so close…

"It's in the way her lips look so edible and taste so sweet, the way her cheeks flush after kissing her for hours, the way she giggles when I nuzzle her neck, the way she gets breathy when we-"

"STRIFE!"

And with the door finally open, Zack forced Cloud outside to find someone else to talk to death about his precious Tifa. When no such person could be found, he fell asleep on the doorstep, dreaming of his beloved.

_(end of Cloud's story) _

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

The image of their fingers interlaced on the bedspread was all Cloud could see as the last words left his lips and finished his story before deciding to look at her face. Tifa's whole form was shining, from the tip of her head down throughout her body beneath the covers and it wasn't from overheating. It was from the man holding her hand, so soft and tender after all of the hardships he had gone through and then what they had been through together…after that story she felt as if her heart could burst with tenderness.

She squeezed his hand in hers and his eyes burned with an internal fire, only for her, always for her. He brushed his lips lightly across hers and loved to hear her sigh. Her cheeks were ablaze from his kiss pleasantly so and when he pulled away her breath caught in her throat. Those were only a few of the things that made him love her and he kissed her again, happy with the thought of what the future held in making him love her more if that was even possible.

Her eyelids drooped dreamily as he pushed her sleepy body down gently onto the bed to lie down. Her smile was peaceful as she felt him curl up against her, holding her close so she was finally able to get the much deserved rest she needed, with him beside her; always beside her.

_As it was meant to be _

The End…of part 1


	2. Part 2

Dream within a dream series vol. 5 cont.

"**Warriors Don't Get Sick Part 2"**

**By MakoRain**

Cough…cough…thump…sneeze…cough.

Now this sounded familiar, Tifa thought as she peered at her surroundings and rolled over to face Cloud…well, his back actually. She hugged him from behind and could here the thickness of his breathing in his chest and rested her cheek against the spot, listening to his heartbeat through it all.

_Oh honey, I'm so sorry._

Tifa threw the covers off of her body and walked to the bathroom to retrieve the cough medicine and thermometer. He was still on his side and she bent over him to feel his forehead. He was hot to the touch and she had to half rouse him out of a restless sleep to take his temperature. She looked back into cloudy eyes and the beeping told her what she already knew; a couple spoonfuls made their way down his swollen throat before she crawled back into bed beside him.

His arm soon found its way across her waist and she snuggled closer, loving the feel of him against her body. Lifting his hand in hers, she kissed it before resting it against her and listened to hear that he was somewhat comfortable before allowing sleep to overtake her as well.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

It was well past lunch time and Cloud still lay in bed, unable to move in his ill state. Tifa had called his clients to let them know their deliveries would be delayed until Cloud was on his feet again and thankfully they understood there was nothing to be done.

The stairs creaked slightly under her weight as Marlene and Denzel soon trailed behind Tifa, attempting to sneak past her and get to Cloud. She knew what they were up to and blocked the bedroom door with her body, not wanting them to wake up the sick man inside.

"But Tifa, I just want to see if he feels better," Marlene whined while Denzel tried to peer through her arms that held the door open a bit.

"I know you do sweetie, but Cloud is very sick. He needs his rest."

The children finally gave up their quest and instead went to play in their room, leaving Tifa to tend to Cloud as she knew she was capable of doing.

The room was dark with the shades closed but she didn't dare move them and placed the tray with Cloud's lunch onto the dresser and looked at the reflection behind her. He was still in bed but now his eyes were open, watching her watch him in the mirror, a smirk on his lips even though he looked like he shouldn't be smiling ever again. This was confirmed when he opened his mouth, attempting to speak only to submit a kind of high pitched squeaking noise that Tifa was all too familiar with from her bout of this bug only a week or two ago.

The pity was covered up in her eyes with the concern overflowing for him. It's never fun to be stuck sick in bed after all, not with everything that has to be done. She could imagine the list going through his head, which deliveries he had to absolutely take care of today or the client would wring him out to dry, those that were merely hours or over a few days, all of them filling his head with worry; she could see it in his eyes.

Tifa walked towards him, placing her hands on his head. It was still warm, and all that thinking would not be helping matters so she gently rubbed his temples for a few moments.

"It's not good to worry Cloud. Besides, I already called your clients; they can wait while you recuperate."

That smile was back again and beaming more than should be allowed for a sick man but she let it slide while sliding next to him on the bed. He was making motions with his hands before she pointed to the same pad and paper she had used last week to write out his unspoken words.

She read the note and smiled. _Thank you._ Two small words that made her feel special for helping him in his time of need and she bent forward, to give him a 'thank you' and an Eskimo kiss. If he had been well, he might have pulled away but she had him cornered and it looked like he didn't mind this little display of affection on her part, if his smile had anything to do with it.

"I'm sorry."

Pulling back and sitting across from him wasn't enough though…it was too silent. It was uncomfortable, speaking volumes for the voiceless warrior and the barmaid who had given him this sickness. It had to be broken before it smothered them both.

Hadn't he entertained her when she was ill with a story? Ah, yes, a delightful story indeed, full of secrets and love, a love they had shared before he left and clung to far after that. She had one of her own and wasn't it only fitting she tell it to him when he couldn't say anything about it verbally? It broke the silence.

"When you left, there was sadness throughout my life. I thought I could never be happy again, not until you had returned…

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

_(Tifa's story)_

_Part 1-flashback_

_It always started with that first rainfall, when the heavens would finally open after times of being missed to grace the lands with its cooling refreshment. Tifa sat in her living room, looking out at the cloudy sky and thrilled at the idea of rain, it had been so long. She wanted to go out and dance in it when it came but her mother wouldn't let her, saying it was improper for a young lady to traipse about in the rainfall. Her snorts at being called a young lady were never much appreciated by her mother and so Tifa would go back to sulking, watching the clouds fill and fill until they were about to burst._

_She had to get out of the house, to at least experience this without the confinement of walls and roof and so she snuck out quietly while her mother was in the kitchen doing something 'womanly' for sure. Tifa took deep breaths of the moisture-enriched air…it smelt like rain. It was coming. She could feel it._

_The only thing that distracted her from all of this was the fact that someone was watching her from the house next to hers. Mostly, she didn't mind. She had seen the boy glance her way a few times before and was used to looks from others but the fact that he didn't turn away when she looked back bothered her. Didn't he have any sense of respect, of decency? To blatantly stare at a girl like that was just…it irked her and yet had her in awe._

_That's the only way she could explain what happened next. He came outside and stood in his yard, mirroring her position but not looking at her, instead averting his eyes to the sky._

_So now he looks away, she thought but continued to watch him watch the sky, wanting to see those eyes again. After moments of silence, she gave up on the search of his eyes randomly finding hers and instead asked, "What are you doing out here?"_

_That finally got his attention and those eyes fell on hers before finding the ground quickly while he answered. _

"_You looked like you could use some company."_

_Tifa smiled at his concern._

"_Aren't you afraid of getting wet?"_

"_Not really" she replied truthfully. She wouldn't melt after all._

"_It's warmer inside." He said in an afterthought nervously. Was he inviting her over? _

"_Okay." _

_It wasn't the right answer to his question exactly but it worked for they were soon inside his living room, sitting by a toasty fire while his mother made them hot chocolate for when they watched the rain. When it finally came down, it was opened as a leaking faucet, slowly building to bead down the windows before being unleashed in a torrent of thunder and lightening, sheets of water pouring from the sky. _

_Cloud's roof made every drop heard with a ping ping and when the water blended, all that could be heard was a constant splash. They sat mostly in silence besides the sound of the falling water above, watching the rain pour outside. It was one of Tifa's fondest memories of her and Cloud._

_xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox_

Part 2-the real story

The day Cloud left was painful. No more late nights out below the stars, no more cuddles, no more stolen kisses, no more blond hair and blue eyes to surprise her. To say she was depressed was an understatement; she had no idea how she would pull through this time while he was gone away with SOLDIER.

Why did he have to leave? It was a question that pulled at her mind. He never gave her a real answer, just saying that he was doing it for them. _For us? Why? Don't you see I don't need anything but you, Cloud?_ Of course she never said it, any of it. She didn't want to make him stay when he was so set on leaving. If she wasn't enough to keep him there, she couldn't imagine what else could.

The emptiness would weigh down on her as if trying to smother her for missing him. When it all became too much to bear, she would always be surprised. It all started with that first rainfall and it always would. Not even three or so days after Cloud had left and Tifa was sitting in her living room all alone had the skies become dark and overcast.

She got up and went outside, feeling the moisture in the air dance across her skin and smelling the rain before the first drop even fell. After that, it was slow and steady and Tifa went next door to sit in Cloud's house. His mother didn't mind, she probably understood and left her alone to sit by the fire and listen and watch the rainfall around her, picturing Cloud with her there alone with his arms around her. He held on, and she got by, until the day she saw him again, those times would keep her afloat.

(end of Tifa's story)

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

The warmth of his hand in hers pulled her eyes from the bedspread to the glow of his, radiating the happiness and love she felt within. That story was something she never thought possible to tell him and yet her she was, letting it fall out easily. It helped that he couldn't talk. A scribble of pen on paper told her otherwise. It was a rather lengthy scrawl of writing before he gave the note to her to read.

'I was standing guard along the exterior entrance when the first rainfall hit our camp. I stood there, looking up at the sky with a smile on my face, only thinking of you being there with me in the rain.'

Her eyes were wide as she took in what he revealed and was happy to see his smile mirror her own. There was really no reason to smile, he was sick and it was all her fault, but that didn't mean anything compared to the love and strength they had just shared to each other in their times of weakness, Cloud with his story last week and even now adding additional revelations to her confession.

Another scribble and note made everything come full circle.

'I love you.'

It was simplistic, only three words and yet those three small words written on paper enlightened everything within her. He loved her. She had always known…he had always known, and now they made it known to both.

"I love you too, Cloud. With all my heart."

Tifa moved forward to give Cloud a kiss but was stopped with his finger on her lips. He coughed to tell her not to kiss him, he didn't want her to get sick again but she slid past and gave him a quick brush of lips, the ghost of a kiss, before lying down next to him and pulling him into her arms. She didn't like getting sick but she didn't mind if it meant more time with him.

She looked down into his smiling face, seeing it relax and stretch out as his tension eased away to be replaced with the gentle relaxation of sleep. Tifa held him like that in her arms, watching his chest rise and fall with each breath, and kissing him on the forehead before feeling herself drift off into sleep with him. At one point in time she sensed the children open the door but she opened her eyes and shook her head, telling them she would be down in a minute.

Looking down at his face made her want to stay there forever, to take care of him when he needed her…she stayed a few more minutes than needed and left a kiss on his forehead, promising to return. She always would return to him, to him and him alone.

As it was meant to be.

The End


End file.
